This invention relates generally to material fabrication, and more specifically, to methods and systems for fabricating fire retardant materials. Particularly the methods generally describe solid freeform fabrication of three-dimensional objects, specifically materials and techniques for forming these three dimensional objects.
Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a process for generating a material from a powdered compound. In the SLS process, the powdered compound is distributed onto a surface, and a device, such as a laser, is directed onto at least a portion of the powder, fusing those powder particles together to form a portion of a sintered material. Successive layers of the powder are distributed onto the surface, and the laser sintering process continues, fusing both the particles of the powdered material together into layers and the adjacent layers together, until the fused layers of laser sintered material are of a shape and thickness as appropriate for the intended use of the material.
However, these materials have all been lacking in at least one dimension with respect to a flame retardant application. Typical parameters when assessing such materials include one or more of tensile strength, elongation at break, resistance to 12 and 60 second burn tests, production of smoke while burning, and ability of the material to self-extinguish when removed from a flame environment.